1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an air cleaner system for a motorcycle of the type having a single shock absorber disposed between an engine and a rear wheel.
2. Description of Relevant Art
A known shock absorbing system for motorcycles such as those employed for racing, in which reduction of the weight is critical, comprises a single damper combined with a coil spring disposed between a rear fork and a body frame to reduce the overall weight. A known shock absorbing system for ordinary motorcycles, on the other hand, comprises two dampers with coil springs, which are disposed on either side of a rear wheel. In the aforesaid motorcycle for special uses such as racing, because good maneuverability and high stability are especially required, the shock absorber is positioned as close as possible to the center of gravity of the vehicle body between the engine and the rear wheel in order to reduce the moment of inertia about the center of gravity.
It is well known that the engine of a motorcycle must be provided with an air cleaner system upstream of the carburetor to supply clean air to the engine. The air cleaner system is usually disposed at the rear side of the engine, so as to avoid interference with the rear wheel. When the shock absorber is disposed between the engine and the rear wheel so as to be close to the center of gravity of the motorcycle, the space between the engine and the shock absorber is substantially reduced, and the capacity of the air cleaner is accordingly limited by the shock absorber, thus making the provision of an air suction system including an air cleaner of a large capacity impossible. A racing motorcycle, in particular, requires high engine performance, which is greatly dependent upon the capacity of the air cleaner.
Thus, two requirements, i.e., appropriately positioning a shock absorber so as to improve maneuverability and stability of a motorcycle on the one hand, and increasing the capacity of the air cleaner so as to improve engine performance on the other hand, conflict with each other. Accordingly, there has developed a desideratum for an arrangement which simultaneously satisfies both of the aforesaid conflicting requirements.
The present invention eminently fulfills the aforesaid desideratum by providing an air cleaner system wherein the shock absorber is disposed close to the center of gravity of the body of a motorcycle without undesirably reducing the capacity of the air cleaner system.